


Beaten

by MotherOfOompaLoompas



Series: Brothers in All but Blood [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Hurt Damian Wayne, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt Tim Drake, Hurt/Comfort, Police Officer Dick Grayson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24292159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherOfOompaLoompas/pseuds/MotherOfOompaLoompas
Summary: Tim and Damian fell, and Dick hadn't been there to catch them.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Series: Brothers in All but Blood [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683295
Comments: 17
Kudos: 437





	1. Chapter 1

The news flashed on the TVs spread throughout Bludhaven’s Police Department.

_Two Youngest Wayne Boys Found Nearly Dead After Kidnapping_

Dick froze at his desk before his breath quickened, and his heart raced as he began to panic. He hadn’t even known that they were gone. How long had they been missing? They could have died and he wouldn’t have been there. They could still die. 

It was just like Jason.

“Hey, Grayson, you good? I mean I know you Gothamites are crazy obsessed with the Waynes, but it’s not anything to get worked up over. The kids are fine,” his partner cut into his thought process far too casually.

_Am I good? Am I_ good? His little brothers are hurt. They were beaten, and currently in surgery, based on the news report. They had fallen, and he hadn’t been there to catch them. They could have died, and it would have been his fault. 

He had to get to his brothers.

“I- I need- I have to-” Dick was already on his feet and stumbling in the general direction of the exit.

“Dick? Where are you going? It’s not the end of your shift yet.”

He was grabbed by the elbow and spun around to face Jake, but before he could be made to answer his questions, the screen changed.

The news team had somehow gotten a hold of pictures of his little brothers’ broken bodies, and were displaying them alongside previous pictures of them, like a morbid before and after montage.

Dick couldn’t look away, even as his breath stuttered and tears gathered in the corner of his eyes.

“Wait, I’ve seen those kids before. Isn’t that the kid that came in here the other month looking for you?” another officer asked Dick.

“Yeah!” Jake exclaimed. “Didn’t he say… he was your… brother?”

The two officers exchanged a look.

“Grayson?” the other officer questioned softly.

Eyes turned toward him expectantly, but there was only one thing he could focus on.

“My little brothers,” he choked. 

He faintly heard one of them realize, “Holy shit, _you’re_ ‘Richie’ Grayson,” and the other offer a quiet, “Well, fuck,” in response to Dick’s obvious panic and impending mental breakdown.

A few tense moments when by before Jake pulled him so he was no longer staring horrified at the TV but at Jake.

“Ok, this is what we’re going to do. I’m gonna get permission to leave from the captain. I am going to drive you to Gotham because you are in no state to drive right now. We will find the hospital your brothers are at, and you will stay with your family until you can visit your brothers. Do you understand?”

Dick nodded, still out of it, but feeling slightly more put together now that there was a clear plan laid out.

“It’s going to be ok. You’ll see your brothers soon.”


	2. Chapter 2

The car ride was too long. Dick was in too much shock to do more than stare out the window, so he just sat in the passenger seat, his chest tight and stomach nauseous.

In the driver’s seat, he could hear Jake making phone calls, getting in touch with Gotham’s police department and other people who might be able to tell him what hospital his brothers were at.

Oh, his little brothers, so small, so young, so vulnerable.

Who had taken them? Who had hurt them? Why would they do that? How long had these men had them? Where had Bruce been? Wasn’t it Bruce’s job to protect the children in his care?

This was twice now that Dick had to hear on the news of the death or near death of his little brothers. It had to stop. Bruce had to stop. They weren’t safe with him. He was hurting them.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and it took several seconds to make his hand bring the phone up so he could see who was calling.

_ Alfred _

Dick answered the phone.

“I’m on my way to Gotham.” Better to get to the point. Alfred would forgive him for not going through pleasantries.

“I suppose you saw the news.” He sounded tired, strained.

“Yes.” He desperately wanted to ask what had happened and where Bruce had been, how the boys were now, but he also didn’t want to get into it with Alfred over the phone.

“Bruce and I are with the boys at Gotham General. I will await your arrival out front.” 

“Thanks, Alfred.”

“Of course, drive safely.” He hung up.

Dick turned to Jake, who glanced at him as he continued to drive. He had finished the call he had been making while Dick had his brief conversation with Alfred.

“They’re at Gotham General.”

“Ok.” He didn’t say if he had already figured that himself through the calls he had made or complain that Dick hadn’t gotten the information earlier, and Dick was thankful for that.

The drive continued in silence.

* * *

Walking through the halls of the hospital, side by side with Alfred, was easy. Paparazzi had long since been banished from the hospital by Bruce Wayne, and Alfred and strangers—Jake had taken the car back to Bludhaven, promising to get him a few days off of work—didn’t care if he was about to break down.

The hard part came when he stood in front of the door to his brothers’ shared hospital room. His mind looped the pictures of when they were found, covered in blood and bruises. How was he supposed to face them when he hadn’t been there to catch them?

Alfred laid a hand on his shoulder, and he became aware of the sound of a sharp argument coming from the other side of the door.

“Shut up, I already said I wanted the green jello!”

“Imbecile, everyone knows that green is my color. You may help yourself to the yellow jello.”

“Yellow’s gross. I want green.”

“You—”

“Boys.” Bruce’s voice, strong and steadfast, sounded from inside the room. That alone made Dick take a deep breath and relax slightly. It didn’t matter anymore what had happened, how Bruce may have messed up or who had taken them. They were safe now, and with Bruce watching over them, nothing was going to happen.

“Are you planning to enter, Master Dick?” A gentle reminder of where he was and what was going on.

“Yeah.” He steeled himself and opened the door to the hospital room. Tim and Damian were in beds parallel to each other. Tim had stitches across his forehead and his left arm was in a cast. Damian had a busted lip and black eye, and it looked as though he had several broken fingers. The boys were hooked up to numerous machines, but overall, they were in much better states than he had hoped.

Bruce sat in a chair between the two beds, holding two trays of what must have been dinner. Unsurprisingly, they each had a container of jello, one green and one yellow.

All occupants of the room looked up when he entered.

“Hey,” he gave a shaky smile.

Bruce got up, putting the trays on a side table and walking over to his eldest. “Dick,” he breathed as he embraced Dick, something the younger man returned perhaps a little tighter than necessary.

Pulling away, he stood more steadily as he walked to stand between the beds. Both of his little brothers stared at him with soft eyes.

“We’re ok, Dick,” Tim reassured.

“Honestly, Grayson, those thugs were nothing. Tt, it was only because we were not in uniform and could not fight back that we sustained any injuries.”

Bruce approached until he was directly behind Dick. “And Batman already dealt with the kidnappers. They’re all in jail.”

Dick took another deep breath and leaned back into his father figure. “I know. I know you’re all fine. It’s just that sometimes I worry, and I’m so far away in Bludhaven. Sometime I feel like you don’t tell me when something’s happening, and then I find out on the news, and that’s never fun.” He inhaled shakely. “You two could have died and no one even told me you were even kidnapped.”

“I’m sorry. I know my communication skills aren’t the best,” Bruce rumbled.

Dick gave a soft laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

He had been scared out of his mind with the news this afternoon, but it was fine. His brothers were safe, the kidnappers were in jail, no one’s secret identity had been leaked, and Bruce was watching over them. He could relax now.

“Jason’s gonna be back in town tonight,” Tim offered.

“And we’ll be going home tomorrow morning,” Damian followed up.

Dick smiled. Maybe he could have all of his little brothers under one roof this week. That would make him feel better. He’s sure he could guilt trip Jason into it.


End file.
